Fluid pulsator transmission system



Nov, 23, 1948. G. R, ERICSON FLUID PULSATOR TRANSMISSION SYSTEM Original Filed Oct. 24, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' INVENTOR GEORGE R. ERICSON K /kw,

ATTORNEY 23, 1948. G. R. ERICSON 2,454,311

I'LUID PULSATOR TRANSMISSIQN SYSTEM I Original Filed Oct, 24, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR GEORGE R. ERICSQN' ATTORNEY Patented maze, 1948 George B. Ericaon,

Ma, aaaignor to Kirkwood, Carter Carburetor Corporatio St. Louis, 1! a corporation of Delaware Original application Octo 301,009, now Patent N 1942, Serial No. 446,153.

5 Claims. 01. sis- 62.5)

This application is a division of my copending application, Serial No. 301,009, issued on April 27, 1943, as Patent No. 2,317,594.

This invention relates to improvements in automobiles and more particularly to improvements in engine driven systems for operating such accessories as windshield wipers and fuel pumps. These two accessories have given designers considerable difficulty, due to the fact. that while they are not required to be operated at high speed, it is highly desirable that they should be driven at a fairly constant speed. This result is particularly diiilcult to obtain on account of the fact that the engine is operated at widely varying speeds and under substantially varying conditions of throttle opening and manifold suction. For instance, windshield wipers which have ordinarily been driven by manifold suction, may

go out of operation altogether when the engine is operated under a substantial load with the throttle in wide open position, when there is not enough manifold suction to operate the wiper.

Vacuum operated fuel supply devices have been generally discarded due to the uncertainty of manifold vacuum and engine-driven fuel pumps are now in general use in place of the older vacuum tank constructions. The engine-driven fuel pump is, however, unsatisfactory under certain conditions, because it requires the fuel line to be brought close to the hot engine, thereby'involving a difliculty known as vapor lock which is well understood by those skilled in the art and requires no further discussion here.

The object of my invention is to provide means for operating a windshield wiper and a fuel pump at a substantially uniform speed regardless of changes in the speed of the engine and the load applied thereto.

I obtain these objects by means of a novel pulsating pressure producer which may be operated electrically or by connection with a moving part of the engine. The pulsator is connected to the operated device or devices by a fluid conduit which may contain a gas or a liquid. Where a gas is used as the transmission medium, a pulsator of large capacity may be required, while the use ofliquid for this purpose requires the use of diaphragms or other segregating means to insure the retention of the liquid in the system. i

The invention will be better understood upon reference to the following specification and accompanying drawings, in which;

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a pulsator embodying a form of the invention.

her 24, 1939,

saw No.

. 2.317.594, dated April Divided and this application June 6,

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic representation, parts being sectioned, showing a pressure oper ated system embodying the invention and as applied to an automobile.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic representation of a aystem embodying another form of the inventhe crank case of an internal combustion engine having a conventional cam shaft 2 which, in the present construction, rotates in a clockwise direction. The pulsator comprises a body member 3, conveniently die cast, which is bolted or otherwise detachably connected to the crank case I over an opening 4 therein through which the operating mechanism extends. Body member 3 is provided with a hand hole which is closed by a cover 5 held in position by screws 6. A cylinder i is preferably formed integrally with the body member 3 and is fitted with a piston 8. The piston is urged downwardly by a coiled spring 9'. This spring is formed of flat wire,as shown,

as the piston is moved downwardly. When the piston is at the lower end of its stroke, the spring is still under substantial compression, sumcient to give approximately five (5) pounds per square inch pressure at the end of its stroke. The spring, when in its'completely expanded position, as when taken completely out of the mechanism, preferably has a length at least double the length to which it must be compressed when in its most expanded position in the mechanism. With this arrangement, the pressure at the top of the stroke of the piston will be substantially less than douhis the pressure at the bottom of the stroke.

The lower end of cylinder 1 is provided with an outlet nipple l0, screw threaded to receive a conventional pipe fitting and provided with an accurately centered opening H to receive a plunger or pilot l2 carried by the piston. The function of this plunger is to enterand substantially close passage Ii when piston 8 approaches the bottom of its stroke and also to operate the relief valve it which is carried in the fitting ll The reference numeral l indicates a portion of of the cylinder just below the piston when at the top of its stroke. This port communicates with atmosphere through a filter i3 which is provided with screens as indicated. .This fllter not only serves to exclude sand and otherioreign matter, but also serves to silence any popping sound which might otherwise occur when the piston uncovers the port.

Piston 3 is driven upwardly. by means of a con- 7 necting rod i3 pivoted to the piston at 23 and to bifurcated operating lever 2!, as indicated at 22. A jaw member 23 is connected to a cooperating spring or jaw grip member 24 by means or a pivot pin 23 which is held in place by a washer and cotter pin 23. A plurality of grip members 23 and 24 may be provided, if desired, which may be formed of slightly flexible sheet metal, stamped as shown and alternately mounted on pin 23 so as to form a laminated stack. The clutch mechanism is lubricated by the oil spray in the crankcase.

The end of member 23 opposite pin 23 has an apertured boss 23a secured to a projecting finger 2ia on lever 2i by a pin 21. The bifurcation of lever'zi is also pivotally connected to apertured boss 23a in gripping member 24 by a pin 28. A coiled spring 23 is wound around pin 21 and has one end hooked under gripping member 23 and the other end hooked under lever 2i. This spring is constantly in tension so as to bias lever 2i in a clockwise direction relative to pin 21 and to bias member 23 in the opposite direction.

Body member 3 carries a projection 33 to which is attached a pair or brackets, one of which is shown at 3i. These brackets are inturned at their upper ends, as at 32, to form cam elements or stops for engaging rollers 33 mounted on the bifurcations of lever 2i. The positioning of cam elements 32 is such that when lever 2i is being carried clockwise around the cam shaft. contact of rollers 33 with the cam elements will cause lever 2i to be rotated in a clockwise direction about these rollers in a manner to urge gripping members 23 and 24 apart and release the cam shaft.

In order to produce a slight pause in the action of piston 3 at the top of its stroke and prior to the compression stroke, connecting rod i3 is provided with a notch 33 into which a pin or detent 33 may be dropped. .Pin 33 is carried at one end oi. a double lever 33 which is pivotally mounted on a pin 42 in body member 3. A coiled spring 33 has a pair of projecting arms, one oiwhich contacts the spring seat member 33yancl the other of which rests against the bridge member 40 which joins the two sides of double lever 33. A 1 weight 4i is attached to the upper end of double lever 38 by a pin, as indicated at 42.

The windshield wiper motor (Fig. 2) comprises a cylinder 43 receiving reciprocating piston 44. The windshield wiper blade 43 is pivoted at 43 and yieldably urged toward one extreme position by a tension spring 41. A connection rod 43 con-- nects piston 43 and the operating lever 33 of the wiper blade having an apertured boss 43 rigid with the wiper shaft. When it is desired to stop the wiper movement, a lever iii, pivoted at 52 and provided with a hook 33, is moved into the path oi lever 33 by means of the handle 54. When it is desired to have the windshield wiper operate, lever ii is turned slightly in an anti-clockwise direction so that the projection 53 is no longer in the path of the projection 30.-

Cylinder 43 is connected by means of conduit 33 to the fitting i4, and another branch 33 the conduit leads to what may be termed the'pi'essure translating device 31 which consists of a chambered body member I3 having inlet and outlet check valves 33 and 33, respectively. The inlet check valve, in the present case, is held in closed position merely by its own weight, while the outlet check' valve is lightly held in closed position by a small spring ii. The upper part of chamber 33 is closed by a plug 32 which is provided with suitable pipe fittings for connection to fluid pressure branch 33. The inlet passageway 33 is connected to the fuel tank 34 by means of the conduit 33. Device 31 is preferably mounted in or adjacent the fuel tank 34. but it may be mounted on the carburetor itself, or at a point on the chassis of the vehicle near the engine, but, preferablynot under the hood-at least in engines where a great deal of heatis developed at that point. The outlet passageway 33 of device 31 is connected to the carburetor oi the engine.

- In operation, with the engine at rest, spring 3 (Fig. 1) holds piston 3 at the lower end of its stroke and pilot i2 contacts the stem of the valve i3, holding it in open position so as to expose conduits 53 and 53 to atmospheric pressure conditions. The lowermost position of piston 3 is determined by engagement of boss 23a and lever extension 2 la with projection 33. In this position of the parts, spring 3 overcomes spring 23 and rotates pin 21 counterclockwise sufficiently relatlve to pin 23 to cause members 23 and 24 to tightly grip cam shaft 2. Pin 35 is yieldingly held against rod i3 by spring 33. Clockwise rotation of the cam shaft from this position carries the frictional clutch mechanism upwardly, lifting piston 8 and compressing spring 9.

During the first part of the. upward movement of piston 8, pilot i2 releases valve i 3 to permit its closure by spring i5 and then clears passage ii so as to expose conduits 35 and 53 to suction produced by the receding piston. During continued upward movement of the piston, a quantity of fuel is drawn into device 31 past inlet check 53 .and suction is communicated to windshield wiper cylinder 43. When piston 3 uncovers port i! in its upward movment, suction in cylindcr I is relieved, and conditions in the',,fluid system again approach a state of equilibrium. Near the top of the stroke of piston 3. spring 33 forces pin detent 33 into notch 34 and roller 33 strikes cam element 32. A slight additional clockwise rotation of lever 2i about rollers 33 produces clockwise rotation of pin 21 relative to pin 23 which releases the clutch mechanism. Spring 23 then holds the clutch mechanism released to be returned to the initial position at a substantially uniform rate by spring 3. The return or discharge stroke is delayed until pin 33 is forced out of notch 34 due to the superior pressure of spring 3. Preferably the outlet connection 33 in chamber 53 is slightly restricted, as indicated at 31, so that the discharge of the liquid from this chamber will be sufficiently slow to build up back pressure to open the windshield wiper. The pump discharge through tube 13 is also restricted or cut off by the needle valve 33a in inlet 63 and controlled by float 33 in carburetor float bowl ll,

When windshield wiper piston 44 has reached the end of its outward stroke (Fig. 2) and when no more fuel can be discharged from the chamber 53 due to the action of needle valve 63a, pulsator piston 3 is still capable of reaching the end of its stroke by building up compression in the passages 33 and 33. and the chamber 33 due to the compressibility of the fluid therein. Also, there may be some leakage around piston 8. e

The entry of pilot 12 into passageway ll serves to restrict the discharge of air from cylinder 1 The pressure of spring 85 on relief valve II is such that where the engine is using a very small amount of fuel excessive pressure in the system may be relieved through passage I I.

The last action of the pressure stroke of piston 8 is to again bring boss 29c on member 24 into contact with extension 30 and reengage the clutch mechanism with the cam shaft so as to repeat the cycle.

Fig. 3 shows a form of the invention which may be advantageously utilized where the fluid connections are of such length that unsatisfactory operation results due to dampening out of the pulsations. In this form, pulsating air pressure from pulsator chamber 7 is applied directly to a flexible diaphragm 12 interposed in tube 55 and secured between hollowed caps 12 and I4 forming chambers 15 and 78. respectively. Cap members 13 and H are provided with suitable pipe fittings for connection into conduit 55. A second diaphragm 17 mounted between hollowed cap members 18 and 79 is inserted in connection 58. Lower cap member 18 carries inlet and outlet check valves 59 and 80,- identical with the corresponding parts in Fig. 2. The windshield wiper mechanism is also identical with that in Fig. 2.

Conduits l5 and 56 and chambers 16 and 82 are fllled with a suitable liquid which serves as a non-compressible medium for transmitting the pulsations produced in diaphragm 12 by the pulsator to fuel pumping diaphragms l1 and windshield wiper piston 44. A third diaphragm may be inserted in connection 55 adjacent cylinder 42, if desired. The diaphragms are particularly desirable in a closed liquid system as shown. but one or more of these may be used with the air of gaseous system shown in Fig. 2 in order to prevent escape of the transmitting fluid. For instance, a diaphragm may be advantageously mounted in chamber 58 to prevent fuel vapors from being drawn into the pulsator mechanism.

The invention may be embodied in other forms than those shown, as will occur to those skilled in the art, and the exclusive use of all such modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims is contemplated.

I claim: 1

1. In a motor vehicle having an engine oper able at a variable speed, and a device adapted to be driven at a more nearly constant speed, a fluid motor for operating said device, a fluid pulsation transmitting means including an operating cylinder having a fluid line connected to said fluid motor, a piston for said operating cylinder, a device for connecting said piston to a driven part of said engine to move said piston in one direction. means for disconnecting said piston from said driven part of said engine at the end of a predetermined stroke, and spring means for returning said piston to the other end of its stroke.

2. In a motor vehicle having an engine operable at a variable speed, and an accessory device adapted to be driven at a more nearly constantspeed, a fluid motor for operating said accessory device, a pulsation transmitting means including an operating cylinder having a fluid line connected to said fluid motor, a piston for said operating cylinder, 9. device for connecting saidpiston to a driven part of said engine to move said piston in one direction, means for disconnecting said piston from said driven part of said engine at the end of a predetermined stroke, spring means for returning said piston to the other end of its stroke, and means for reconnecting said piston to said driven part of said engine at the end of its predetermined stroke.

3. In combination with an engine having a part movable at variable speeds, a device driven by a fluid motor, and a pulsator device including a piston, said pulsator having a fluid connection to said motor, means connecting said piston to said engine part for operation thereby said pulsator device thereby to cause pulsation,

said pulsator device at a slower speedwhereby the cyclical speed of said accessory device is substantially less than that of said engine part.

GEORGE R. ERICSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,026,521 Marcou May 14, 19 .2 1,398,291 Arbuckle Nov. 29, 1921 1,405,595 Kapterer Feb. '7, 1922 1,457,033 'Jorgenson May 29, 1923 1,488,121 Johnson Mar. 25, 1924 1,646,676 Atkinson Oct. 25, 1927 1,698,419 Wappler Jan. 8, 1929 2,042,897 Horton June 2, 1936 2,262,814 Norvell Nov. 18, 1941 2,292,527 Kraft Aug. 11, 1942 2,317,594 Ericson Apr. 27, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 260,175 Great Britain 1926 819,770 (iermany -1. Apr. 3, 1920 

